BLOG SPOT. What's it worth? with Anna De Sanctis

As a barbershop owner, you can probably relate to what I’m about to say. You’ve had “that guy or girl” walk into your shop and ask for a job. You ask, “are you qualified?”, they say “no”, you say, “how long have you been cutting hair?” and in most instances they say, “a few years”. That seems enough, you give them a trial, ask them to do a few different haircuts and usually by the end of the day, you’ve given them a job.

But why don’t they have a qualification? This boils down to a few simple reasons:

- Our industry is only formally regulated in SA and NSW. This means that in every state and territory, besides SA and NSW there is no law to prevent you from cutting hair.

- People don’t see the value in having a qualification. They often think, why do I need to have a qualification if I’m allowed to cut hair anyway.

- People also don’t see the value in investing in themselves, why? For the same reason mentioned above. Why do I have to?

I’m here to tell you a little bit about Australian qualifications and their value.

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national policy guide for regulated qualifications in the Australian education and training system. The AQF defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the different types of qualifications issued across the senior secondary education, vocational education, and training (VET) and higher education systems in Australia.

The key reasons why we have the AQF is to ensure national consistency as well as common understanding across our worldclass training system what defines each qualification.

A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in Australia authorised to deliver education and training, that has barbering on their scope of registration delivers the same qualification no matter which state you live in. The only difference and what sets training providers apart, is the delivery, quality and flexibility of the training and learning outcomes, the overall student learning experience, the student’s support network, access to sufficient resources and the RTO’s ability to successfully retain students.

One of the biggest changes in the hair industry was the anticipated return of the Barbering qualification in 2016. With a rise in the men’s grooming sector, this highlighted the need for its return.

An Australian qualification is a highly regarded commodity across the world, this is due to the consistent and stringent quality assurance system we have in place. This is a system which many countries and regions does not have. Due to the reputation of our quality assurance system, we have seen a rise in international student numbers arriving onshore to complete their Australian qualification. However, this still has not met the demand of qualified barbers in which is a known fact that there is a skills shortage.

As an owner of a RTO, I know firsthand the legalities involved to remain compliant and maintain ongoing registration under federal law as well as the importance of delivering high quality, effective and engaging education.

There is also a stigma around full time institutional delivery (training outside of a traditional apprenticeship), a method of learning that seems to be immensely underrated.

This is a great opportunity to remind you all that you have the opportunity to comment through industry consultation phases of new training products or when training packages and courses are under review. If you find yourself in a situation as a barbershop owner and you aren’t happy with the quality of training, you do have the ability to move your apprentice if you are not entirely happy with the training that is being delivered or the outcomes of that training.

Another lesser-known training product is Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The RPL process can recognise your previous training and skills through an evidence-based assessment approach which and may result in a full Australian qualification being awarded or gap training.

The key to cleaning up our industry and eliminating the backyard barbers who aren’t prepared to invest in themselves is to understand the training system and understand the value and importance of an Australian qualification. Together we can make barbering great again!

@barberyaustralia @barberboysau